What's good about the Garmin? It tracks your time, distance, pace, heart rate, speed... all while recording exactly where you're running in the world.
What's bad about the Garmin? It tracks your time, distance, pace, heart rate, speed... all while recording exactly where you're running in the world. There's no way you can cheat yourself while training.
I took the watch out for a training run yesterday. Just a 5K down Bayshore Boulevard. I was amazed at how it was tracking my time, distance and pace. Hooray, no more going online, plotting runs and hoping I ran the full distance. I now know exactly how far I'm running. That's great. However, I found myself constantly looking at the watch to see my progress, probably because it's my new toy. But knowing how far you want to go and how far you've actually gone can be a downer. Of course, last night it was ridiculously hot and there really wasn't any shade, so that didn't help. I was ready for my 5K to end quickly.
Another cool thing about the Garmin is that you can upload your workout to your computer. It was cool to see how it worked. It pulled up a map and showed me the exact route I ran. There were several different charts, including one that tracked when my pace slowed and quickened along the route. There were also sections showing my speed, heart rate, calories burned, elevation and more. Here's a small glimpse of some of the information it provided.
I really have a lot more to learn about this device, but I have a feeling it's going to be a GREAT training partner. I was skeptical when I read a bunch of reviews where people said they can't imagine running without it and don't know why they didn't buy it sooner. Now, I see what they mean. My Garmin will now be going everywhere my running shoes and I go from now on.
